


Exchange

by Shadow_of_Quill



Series: Replacement [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Gen, Papyrus-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-15 05:26:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8044153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow_of_Quill/pseuds/Shadow_of_Quill
Summary: Exchange: To give, or give up, something, in return for something else.





	Exchange

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS IN PERFECT FORM!" Papyrus declared, voice ringing down the narrow corridor he was jogging through.

No sound of scuffling feet heading away. No stifled (or not-so-stifled) ridicule.

He was alone.

Papyrus let himself slow to a walk, let his shoulders fall, let his smile fade. There was no one here to pretend for. No one who'd scold or fuss or _worry_ if he wasn't brightly cheerful and blindly optimistic.

He relaxed as he saw the Door, ignoring the pang of disappointment as he remembered again the conversation he tried to have with Sans about it. ("SANS, THERE IS A VERY STRANGE DOOR IN THE CAVES IN WATERFALL!"

"yeah? think i should go practice my knock-knock jokes against it?"

"SAAANS!"

"nah, you're right. i'll go find my own 'strange door' to practice them on." And that had been the end of the subject.)

Papyrus knocked at the door politely. "IT IS ME, PAPYRUS." No 'The Great', not here. "I AM AFRAID I AM HERE TO ONCE AGAIN DESCRIBE HOW STRONGLY I FEEL THAT THIS WORLD WOULD PROBABLY BE IMPROVED IF I WERE TO HAVE NEVER EXISTED."

The door slowly opened by a crack, revealing a black emptiness much darker than should be possible. Papyrus leaned in, speaking directly into the inky space between the door and its frame. "IF I WERE TO HAVE EXISTED AT SOME POINT, I WOULD LEAVE BEHIND PEOPLE WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN ME. I AM AFRAID THAT I AM TOO EGOTISTICAL TO WANT TO BE FORGOTTEN, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD BE HORRIFICALLY SELFISH OF ME TO BURDEN ANYONE WITH THE LONGING FOR MY CONTINUED EXISTENCE! IT WOULD BE MUCH FOR THE BETTER IF I WERE SIMPLY ERASED, REMOVED FROM REALITY."

T́h҉e͏̢͜ŗ͏͢e̴͟ ͞i̸s̕͞͞ ̶͘͠ńo ͝s̴̛u̕c͜h̵ ̵t̀h̵͜i͟҉̶n̡͝g̨̕ a͟͞s̶̕ ̀pe͞r͟͡f̶̴ec̸͘͞ţ̵ ̸͢ȩ̀r̴̕͞as̢̨͠u̵r͞e̢.̶͢ ̕͝Y͘҉o͏͢u̶͏r̛ ̶̷́ẁ̢o͟͡ŗ̛͠kş,̢͟ ̷y̴̛͠ó̢͝u҉͜r̕͘ ̶ef̸f̡͠͡ó͜r̡͝͠t̵҉ş҉͟ ́͜-̨͟ ̀th̢̧e͘y͢ ͢w҉͢ou̸͘ld̢̕͢ ̷p͘͡er͏̛s̸i̸̧ś̴t̨ ͜e̸̵͟v̛en̴ ̷i̕҉f҉ yóu̢͡͞r͠ ͞na̷͘m͘e͟ ͟a͜nd͞҉͠ ͢f̢͟a̷̢̕c͟e҉́ ͏͝ąr̶͢͡e̶̵ ́l̨̛ò̴̶şt͜ ̧̨͘f̢͡ore̸͢v̧e̸̴r.̷

There had been a lot of resets since Papyrus first found the Door. With each one, the voice coming from behind it grew clearer.

"AH, BUT YOU SEE, UNLIKE YOURSELF I HAVE NO TANGIBLE EFFORTS _TO_ LEAVE!" 

The person he was speaking with had made so many efforts, so many advances - and yet all he left was the Core.

Nothing Papyrus had done had affected so many monsters, had affected the Underground itself.

His loss would be even more completely unnoticed than that of the person he spoke with.

Ń̶on̛e?̸

Papyrus leaned his head against the wall, and thought about it carefully. His puzzles? Would vanish without anyone caring. His spaghetti? Would no longer threaten innocent tastebuds (he had no idea why other people disliked it so much, but he wasn't as oblivious as he pretended to be). His brother?

...Would be free of the impossible self-made burden of protecting Papyrus from everything that might make him unhappy.

"ALL THAT WOULD GO WITH ME ARE THINGS THE WORLD IN GENERAL WOULD BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT."

There was silence as his words were considered. Papyrus pushed gently on the Door, opening it further.

The room behind it slowly flickered into existence - featureless and grey, empty except for the monster in its centre.

T̴̸h͠en̵̛ ̨͟w̕ǫ͘͝ù̸͡l̡͠d̛ ̛y͘ou̷͏ ̷͞a̶̴g͢r̢͘͡e̵e̶͏ ̀͘͞to͠͏ ̢́a̶̵n̴̶ ̕͜ex̢͘c͠h͡a̕҉n҉ģ̛e ͟of̧͜ ̸͟p̢o̶̧͝ś͘͠i͞t͏̵̷íon̶̵̡ş̸͡?̀͝

There were empty black holes where the monster's eyes should have been. They were fixed on Papyrus' face.

Papyrus beamed. "YES!"

The monster held out a blurred hand with an empty space where the palm should have been.

Before Papyrus could take it, something collided with his legs - "Don't you DARE think you can LEAVE ME LIKE THIS!" - and pushed him off-balance. He staggered one, two steps into the room -

\- his hand caught the other monster's and pulled instinctively -

And the world r e w r o t e i t s e l f . . .


End file.
